A variety of systems employ pump means for circulating a liquid to cool various components of the system such as the electronics. The pump draws the liquid through an inlet at low pressure and discharges the liquid at a higher pressure throughout the system. Often, the system includes accumulator or reservoir means to accommodate expansion and contraction of the coolant as might occur because of temperature variances. For instance, when the coolant heats up, the coolant expands into the accumulator and is returned should the coolant drop in temperature.
Conventionally, the accumulator is a separate component of the system from the pump means. It often can even be remote from the pump means and connected in the system by appropriate conduit means.
Sometimes, a "boot strap" accumulator is used such as that shown in Gooden U.S. Pat. No. 4,538,972, dated Sept. 3, 1987. Such boot strap accumulators or reservoirs, as shown in Gooden, include a movable or expandable piston or other reservoir means which actually forms part of the circulation system. In other words, liquid is circulated to both sides of the reservoir device.
The present invention is directed to a new and improved system in which the accumulator actually is formed as an integral part of the circulating pump means. Circulation is not directed to both sides of the reservoir device of the accumulator, but, instead, the accumulator is gascharged and mounted integral with the pump casing with liquid communication directly from the pump into the interior expandable and contractable reservoir device of the accumulator.